I'm late to the Christmas party but, as always, Lynn, your painting is a pure delight! I hope you and others here found joy in the holiday season despite the burdens, and sometimes sorrows, that so many bear at this time.

We gave our 3 i/2-year-old granddaughter, who is obsessed with ballet and drawing (and drawing the ballet - we call her baby Degas), a video of the Nutcracker. She has sat through the whole thing, live, twice. Her reaction: "O, thank you, Nana! And it's the Baryshnikov version, my favorite!"

Laurel, you obviously have a precocious, culturally advanced granddaughter on your hands!

_________________Pat [68] married to Derek [84] for 38 years; husband dx PDD/LBD 2005, probably began 2002 or earlier; late stage and in a SNF as of January 2011. Hospitalized 11/2/2013 and discharged to home Hospice. Passed away at home on 11/9/2013.

Yes, Lilac is quite a character! (As is her 8-year-old brother, in his own way.) Here is her drawing of the scene in the Nutcracker ballet where Clara (in the center) comes down at night to see the nutcracker doll (at left). She has set her candle down on floor at right, and the Christmas tree is in back but has not grown tall yet. She addressed it to me, Dan (my husband) and Laska (our samoyed). Note that Clara is en pointe, wearing toe shoes with ribbons. Drawing faces in 3/4 profile is relatively new; she also just started drawing some dancers in profile.

That is a really amazing drawing for a child under 4!!! Can't wait to see what the future holds for her!And, glad you liked the painting. I'll try to post another one of these days but I am still struggling with my new Mac, which seems much harder to deal with re: photos than my old, decrepit Dell PC... Lynn

_________________Lynn, daughter of 89 year old dad dx with possiblity of LBD, CBD, PSP, FTD, ALS, Vascular Dementia, AD, etc., died Nov. 30, 2010 after living in ALF for 18 months.

Mon Dec 31, 2012 3:57 pm

labeckett

Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2011 9:07 pmPosts: 248

Re: Happy Holidays

Hi Lynn,I would love to see more of your paintings! Each one makes me smile, and makes me feel glad that you obviously take such joy in the world around you and in translating it to color and light. I paint a little, too, though not like you, and know something of the feeling of being lost in a picture for however long that may last.

Lilac must have some of that, too - she draws all the time, and has for a year or so. We don't try to influence it much, just keep a stack of paper and a jar of pens around wherever she is. She prefers line to color, though sometimes she will color a drawing when it is finished (with great care, usually). Almost all drawings are of the ballet - sometimes individual dancers, sometimes, like this one, a whole scene. It's sort of unnatural, both the intensity of her interest and the detail and precision of the drawings. But at least she is easy to keep amused!

That is just wonderful Laurel. I hope her creative streak is encouraged and supported. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, everything was all about "color inside the lines" and "you can't make an elephant pink" or "what is THAT supposed to be?" I suppose all well-meaning comments, but what a way to stifle children's creativity. I have so many adults in my classes who say that they loved art prior to school, but once in school teachers made them feel bad about their art so they quit. The best compliment one of my students can give me (and I hear this a lot) is "OMG - this is so much fun I feel just like I did in kindergarten when we did finger painting!" That is the nicest thing I hear from my students because I want them to find joy and creativity from what is inside their heads and hearts, not what I am expecting them to do.

Hopefully Lilac will not experience the limitations of typical public school art programs. I wish she lived near me - I'd love to work with her!

Happy New Year, Lynn

_________________Lynn, daughter of 89 year old dad dx with possiblity of LBD, CBD, PSP, FTD, ALS, Vascular Dementia, AD, etc., died Nov. 30, 2010 after living in ALF for 18 months.

Mon Dec 31, 2012 8:39 pm

labeckett

Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2011 9:07 pmPosts: 248

Re: Happy Holidays

Hi Lynn,

I wish you lived near us so I could take lessons! You sound like a great teacher.

I know what you mean about the soul-deadening aspects of school art classes, what's left of them under the No Child Left Unbored regimen. My daughter has actually been home schooling the 8.5 year old since he finished kindergarten, which could not be saved from dreariness and endless worksheets by even a well-meaning teacher. Imagine 5 year olds condemned to spend 4 hours a day doing worksheets.

So both of them are getting rather tender and personal opportunities to be creative, in company with a group of like-minded parents and kids. The kids all seem to be doing great in all the usual academic subjects plus a wide range of other experiences. They go to the museum and art center, too, and get to try all sorts of new stuff there.

I was going to take my sketch book and watercolors on our hike tomorrow but can't find them anywhere. Panic! Frantic! Eek eek eek eek! No doubt they will turn up in due course, but you made me really want to do my usual trick of skipping the lunch stop so I can do a small sketch, especially as it looks like a fine day on the coast, chilly but bright and clear. Maybe we will even be able to see the Farallones.Laurel

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